


Whirlwind

by AnnaOnTheMoon



Series: Starfleet Academy [1]
Category: Star Trek: The Next Generation
Genre: Alternate Universe, Bittersweet, F/M, First Time, First Times, Fluff, Happy Ending, Love at First Sight, Romance, Virgin sex, Whirlwind Romance, pre-stargazer, vigin, wibby wobbly timey wimey
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-07
Updated: 2018-07-07
Packaged: 2019-06-06 18:10:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15200513
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnnaOnTheMoon/pseuds/AnnaOnTheMoon
Summary: Beverly Howard attends placement exams for Starfleet Academy and meets the young Ensign in charge of the exams





	Whirlwind

**Author's Note:**

> Wibbly Wobbly Timey Wimey. Jean-Luc is only about 4-5 years older than Beverly. 
> 
> Warning for first time sexual encounters...does that need a warning?

Beverly Howard smoothed down her dress and walked into the testing classroom.  A bored looking Ensign sat behind the desk. Beverly guessed he was a recent Academy graduate, maybe about five years older than her.  She smiled and approached the desk.  “Hi, I’m Beverly Howard....from Caldos....I’m here for the placement exam for Starfleet Academy?”

“Miss Howard, please take a seat, your exam will begin as soon as the other cadet candidates arrive.” 

“How many others are taking exams today?” The Ensign consulted his PADD.  “Well, I’m impressed Miss Howard.  I’m proctoring five exams this week, and you’re listed for three of them.”  Beverly blushed. 

“I want to go into medicine, but I also want to go into command.” 

“I see. And the engineering placement test?”

“I just thought it would be fun.”  An eyebrow was raised.  “Fun?” 

“Sure! I mean, I love tinkering with things on Nana’s farm.....why not?”  Beverly caught the Ensign trying to hide his smile. 

“Yes, well...trying to take on three tracks at the Academy might be a bit much.  I’m not an advisor but...”

“Yes?”

“I would pick only two areas to concentrate on. You can always take other courses later.”  Beverly nodded. “I’ll consider that advice. Thank you, Sir.”

“Oh, please don’t ‘sir’ me.  I only just graduated myself.  Ensign Jean-Luc Picard.”  He held out his hand across the desk.  “Nice to meet you, Ensign Picard.”

“Please, just call me Jean-Luc.”  Beverly giggled. “Ok.  Jean-Luc.”  Beverly glanced around the classroom. “Am I early?” 

“I wouldn’t say early.  More that your fellow cadets prefer arriving just as the exams are beginning.”  She grinned. “Are they hard?”

“Well, you passed the entrance exams already, so no. These won’t be hard.” 

“Why do we have these tests if we already have been accepted?” 

“I wish I knew, Miss Howard.”  Beverly giggled again. “Nuh-uh. If you want me to call you Jean-Luc, then I insist you call me Beverly.”  Jean-Luc smiled. “Alright, _Beverly_.”  Beverly nearly melted when her name rolled off his tongue. 

Jean-Luc glanced at the chronometer. “Beverly, the exam should be starting in five minutes. Why don’t you pick your console.  I recommend the one closest to the window. You’ll have something to look at if you get frustrated.” 

“Thanks.”  Beverly took up her place at the far console and watched as the other candidates filed in and gave their names to Jean-Luc.  Once they were all seated, Jean-Luc spoke. It sounded to Beverly like he had been repeating the same little speech over and over, because it came out in a droll, monotone she already knew wasn’t the way he usually spoke. 

“Right. You all are here for the placement exam for the command track.  Your score on this test will determine if you will be invited to take the command track classes at the Academy...so I hope some of you have picked a second area to specialise in, just in case.”

“Aw, what do you know? You’re just some lackey.”  Jean-Luc glared at the blond boy who had just spoken. “What do I know?  I graduated from the Academy this past year.  And you will need to quickly learn how to control that tongue.  Your instructors are not going to be as lenient as I will be right now.  And remember, even an Ensign is ranked higher than a cadet, and you _will_ show respect.” 

Jean-Luc pressed a few buttons on his PADD and the consoles lit up.  “You have four hours. You may not leave the room, however there is a bathroom in the corner should you need it.  There’s also a pitcher of water and some glasses on the front desk if you need something to drink.  You are not permitted to use any additional technology.  If you have a personal PADD or other electronic devices, including personal communication units, please leave it on the corner of your desk and I will collect it for the duration of the exam.”  There was a rustling of bags as several students pulled out PADDs and other devices. All except Beverly.  She had actually read the instructions and left her PADD back in her temporary quarters.

Beverly turned her attention to her console as the first question popped up.  You were allowed to mark questions to go back to them at the end, but once you registered a response, you weren’t allowed to change it. It was going to be a gruelling three hours, and she still had two additional exams after.  She snuck a peek over at the front desk where Jean-Luc had opened a book to read.  He really was handsome, if a bit standoffish.  On the other hand, she probably would be standoffish too if she had been given his job.  She tried to put Jean-Luc out of her mind to concentrate on her exam.

Jean-Luc sat back in his chair and opened his book. One thing he could say for this job, he had plenty of time to read.  When he had first been given this assignment, he had protested, but then Admiral Brant explained it would provide him with plenty of downtime to continue his recovery, and he would be able to travel all over the quadrant.  He didn’t _want_ to recover, he felt pretty confident that he was fine, but he had to do what the Admialty and his doctors told him to.   He glanced at the monitor on his desk to make sure all the cadets had started their exams. He set it to chime if there was any problems and returned to his book.  He peeked over the top of his book at Beverly Howard. She was pretty and intriguing. He wondered how old she was...if she was starting at the Academy in the fall, she was at least seventeen...he shook his head.  He had vowed not to get involved with anyone, especially not with a cadet. 

###

She was wearing a different dress the following day.  It was a sundress in a sunny yellow and she wore a light green cardigan over it to protect her from the chill of the space station.  Jean-Luc watched her as she entered the room and he groaned softly to himself.  She was beautiful. 

Beverly shyly approached the desk.  “Good morning, Jean-Luc.” 

“Er..Good morning, Beverly.  I hope you had a good night’s sleep last night.”  Beverly nodded. “My quarters are surprisingly comfortable. It’s a bit quiet without the bustle of Nana’s farm or the rest of the village out my window, but I suppose I’ll have to get used to that.” 

“Indeed.  Starships are not known for having farms on board.  Or vineyards.”

“Vineyards?” 

“My family’s trade.  My father and brother are vintners in France, on Earth.” Beverly rolled her eyes. “I know where France is.  I was born on Luna. My parents were from the Midwestern United States.” 

“I’m sorry. Your paperwork I have only said you were from Caldos, so I assumed...” 

“We moved to Caldos a few years ago.  After....after Arvada.” 

“Arvada? The place where?”  She nodded.  “Nana was one of the healers, so we stayed until the last people were evacuated.”

“And your parents?”  Beverly looked at the floor. “They died when I was small. They were scientists and an experiment went wrong.  I was raised by my Nana.” 

“I’m sorry for your loss.  I didn’t mean to be indelicate.”   Beverly looked up and smiled at the Ensign. “It’s alright. It’s not like you have access to my entire Starfleet file, do you?”  Jean-Luc smiled back. “Of course not.” The truth was, Jean-Luc had tried to learn more about Beverly Howard the night before, but his clearance level wasn’t high enough. 

“I saw you reading a book yesterday, what were you reading?”

“Ah, just an old favourite.  Hound of the Baskervilles, ever hear of it?”

“Sherlock Holmes?”  Jean-Luc grinned.

“I’m impressed. Most people don’t bother with the old classics.”  Beverly grinned back.

“When you live on a backwater planet like Caldos, you do a lot of reading.  What’s today’s offering?”  Jean-Luc held up his book.  “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare? Surely you’re not planning on reading that entire book today.”  He chuckled.  “No, but I know today’s session is a long one, so I wanted something with me I could dip in and out of. “  She nodded.  “I’ve only read a few of his plays, which one were you going to read today?” 

“The Tempest.”  Beverly raised her eyebrows . “Interesting choice.”

“Yes, well...Medical placement exam today.  Are you ready for it?”  She grinned. “Yep.  I’m sure I’ll ace it no problem. I know there are only a few places each year for Medical, so the sooner I get accepted into pre-med, the better off I’ll be.” 

“If you don’t get in, what happens?”  Beverly tossed her hair. “If you want to go to the Medical Academy, you keep applying.  But if you don’t get into pre-med as a first year, you won’t go straight from the Academy to Medical.” 

“Ah. Well, good luck.” 

“Thanks.”  The rest of the students filed in and Beverly took her spot at the desk near the window again and Jean-Luc kept sneaking glances as her as he checked in the rest of the students.

“Today you will be taking the Medical placement exam, which will determine if you are offered a place in the pre-med program with an eye to attending Starfleet Medical Academy.  You will have seven hours for your exam, however we will be taking a break halfway through.  When we take the break, all consoles will go dark, and you are barred from speaking about the exam with each other.  During the break, you will not be permitted to leave this room. We have a replicator which will provide Lunch for us during the break.  There is a bathroom in the corner.  If you have brought any PADDs or other electronic equipment with you, please leave them on the corner of your desk and I will collect them for the duration of the exam. You will not be able to access them during the break.  Good luck.”

During the Lunch break, Beverly managed to get a seat next to Jean-Luc at the small table.  “Well, how’s it going?” 

“I thought we couldn’t talk about the exam?”  Jean-Luc grinned. “With your fellow exam takers, no.  But with me?  I only know what was required of everyone to take for emergency field medicine, and what I learned while I was in hospital recently.”

“Oh? What were you in hospital for?”  Jean-Luc studied his cup of tea before responding.  “I had to have my heart replaced.”  Beverly’s eyes went wide.  “Wow.  I’m sorry, that sounds awful, but also fascinating.  May I ask what was wrong with your heart that you were given a full replacement at such a young age?”

“I was....Look, I don’t mind talking about it, but not out in the open. Can we meet for coffee this evening and I’ll tell you all about it?”  Beverly nodded.  She didn’t have her third exam for two days, so tomorrow was a free day to study.  “Great.  If you tell me where your quarters are, I can meet you there...2000?”  Jean-Luc was careful to pick a time past the dinner hour, lest Beverly think he was asking her out on a date.  Although...

“Actually, would you like to have dinner with me instead?”  Beverly blushed.  “Is that...is that allowed?”   

“Why wouldn’t it be?  I’m not your instructor, just proctoring the exams.”  She smiled. “I’d like that.”

“The exam ends at 1600.  I’d like to change into some civvies first, so should we say....1800?” 

“Sure.  I’m staying in habitat ring level C, number C-267.”  He smiled. “Ah, at least we’re on the same level.  I’ll see you tonight.”

###

Beverly had taken the opportunity to change her dress.  She hadn’t really packed a dress nice enough for going out on a date, but then, she supposed it wasn’t actually a date...was it?  Her dress was blue, with black straps and a black band under her breasts.  She would have to make do with a pair of black sandals for her feet, and she tossed on a black cardigan over her shoulders.  She never wore much make-up to begin with, so she added a bit of mascara and some lipstick.

 She nervously wiped her hands on her skirt when the chime for her door went off.  She had to walk over and manually open the door and when it slid open to reveal Jean-Luc, her breath caught in her throat.  He was wearing an emerald green shirt with a deep V and a pair of tight black trousers.  “H..hi...hello.” 

“Hi hello to you, too,” he grinned. “You look beautiful.”  He leaned over and kissed her cheek and she blushed. _I guess this is a date after all_. “Thanks.” 

“I’m afraid I don’t have any flowers to give you, although we could go for a stroll in the arboretum to look at some flowers if you’d like.”  She nodded and he looked relieved.  “Good. I, ah, arranged for us to have a picnic.  Is that alright?  I thought with us both being country people...” 

“That’s a great idea.  I love it.”  He offered her his arm and she placed her hand in the crook of his elbow and her door slid shut behind her. 

Their walk to the arboretum was punctuated with small talk.  He asked Beverly how she thought she had done on the exam, but when she asked him why he was proctoring placement exams, he told her he would tell her later.  She was puzzled, but she accepted his reasoning.  She had never visited an off-world arboretum before and she was fascinated by the flora and fauna.  Jean-Luc chuckled at her wonderment.  He remembered the first time he met Boothby, the old gardener at the Academy and had been shown the wonders of plants not native to his home of Earth. 

“When you get to the Academy, make sure you meet Boothby, the gardener.” 

“The gardener?”

“Trust me.  Tell him you’re a friend of mine.  Boothby helped me through...well, I nearly washed out my third year.  He helped. Plus, he can show you more flower types than you will have ever thought existed.” Beverly grinned.  They rounded a corner, and there was a picnic basket waiting under a tree.

“Ah, here’s our spot.” 

“How did you do that?”  He grinned. “I ordered the picnic basket while you were still taking your exam,  and I grabbed it and placed it before I came to get you.” 

“Very resourceful.”  Jean-Luc spread out a blanket and told Beverly to take a seat as he plucked their picnic out of the basket.  “I picked food from Earth. Unless you wanted something more exotic?”

“No, Earth food is fine.”  Jean-Luc hesitated.  “Ahh....Beverly, I hope you don’t think I’m indelicate if I ask you how old you are?” 

She grinned. “Eighteen.  Why?”  Jean-Luc pulled a bottle of wine out of his basket. “Because I wanted to make sure I could share this with you.  I grew up drinking wine, but I know that isn’t the norm...would you like some?”  She shyly nodded. “I’ve never had wine before, only grain alcohol my friend’s dad made in his barn.  What if I was under eighteen?” 

“I have a bottle of sparkling apple juice in here, too.”

“Forward planning. I like it.”  Jean-Luc held out a glass of ruby liquid to her and she accepted it with a smile.  She brought it to her lips and took a sip.  “This is....nice.  I like it. From your family’s vineyard?”  He nodded. 

“Maman always makes sure I have a few bottles to hold on to for special occasions.”  She blushed. “Well, thank you for thinking this was a special occasion.”  Jean-Luc grinned and leaned over and lightly touched his lips to hers before pulling away. “I’m sorry.  I shouldn’t have...” 

“I liked that too,” Beverly softly spoke.  “Will you kiss me again?”  He nodded and leaned in to capture her lips once more.  Beverly parted her lips and permitted him to take the kiss deeper.  When they broke apart, they were both breathless and Jean-Luc took another sip of his wine.  He inched closer to Beverly and wrapped an arm around her.  She smiled. 

“Food?” 

“Yes, please.”  Jean-Luc passed her a plate and loaded it with food from the basket.  While they ate, Beverly managed to ask Jean-Luc about his heart and his accident.  He told her more details than he had even told his friends, he just felt comfortable around her and giving her more intimate details. It was as if he had been waiting to meet someone like Beverly.   

“And when I woke up...I had this,” he thumped his chest.  “I lost my placement on my ship as a relief flight controller and Admiral Brant gave me the job of proctoring this year’s placement exams as a way to give me more time to recover.  This is the twelfth starbase I’ve visited, and I’ve been to five planets.” 

“With a girl on every base?” She couldn’t help but tease him.  Jean-Luc shook his head. “Oh, no.  This is the first time....the first time I’ve felt....well, you are the first woman I’ve asked out.” 

“Oh! Well, I feel flattered.” 

“Beverly,” Jean-Luc brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, “You are special.” He kissed her again.  They carried on kissing while the artificial lighting in the arboretum slowly cycled through an artificial sunset and Beverly’s hair was alight like fire from the artificial sun.  When the sky turned to dusk,  Jean-Luc rose and held his hand out to her.  “I suppose I should get you back to your quarters.  I don’t want to be responsible if you mess up your next exam.” 

“Oh, my next exam isn’t for two days.”  He grinned. “Brilliant.  Unfortunately, I still have exams to proctor tomorrow.”

“Which one?”

“Exobiology, non-medical.”  Beverly grinned. “Well, someone has to do it. I’d rather be a doctor, though.”

“The good news is, the exam is only three hours long,” Beverly scoffed and Jean-Luc laughed.  “So if you’d like, we could spend the rest of the day together?  You said you’ve never been on a starbase before?  I could...show you around?”

 “I’d like that.  I’m here for another week after the exams before my transport back to Caldos.”  Jean-Luc smiled. “You know, I think I might be free next week as well.” Beverly grinned.  “Well, then I guess we’ll just have to spend it together.” 

“Count on it, Beverly.  Can I walk you back to your quarters?”  She nodded. 

As they rounded the corner, Beverly became nervous again.  Should she invite him in for coffee? Tea?  Would it be too forward and look like she wanted to sleep with him?  _Did_ she want to sleep with him?  They arrived at her door. “Well, here I am.” 

“Yes, here you are.”  He leaned forward and gave her another kiss and she wrapped her arms around him as she kissed him back.  “Would you like to come in?  For tea or coffee, I mean.” 

“Sure.” 

“I’m sorry, the room is a bit small...” they entered the small quarters.  A bed was over close to the window, and there was a small seating area complete with a sofa, desk, and dining table.  He grinned. “About the same size as mine, honestly.” 

Beverly blushed and picked up a dress from the floor and shoved it into the small wardrobe. “I’m sorry...please excuse the mess.”

“I didn’t see anything.”  Beverly laughed. “Tea or coffee?” 

“Tea please. Earl Grey.”  She grinned. “I remember from Lunch.”  She carried their teas over to the sofa and they drank their tea, talked, and kissed some more.  Beverly had slipped her hand under the front of Jean-Luc’s shirt and pressed her hand against his chest and he placed his hand over hers.  “Beverly?” 

“Yes, Jean-Luc?” 

“I...ah...haven’t been...that is....I....”  Beverly laughed.  “Are you trying to tell me you haven’t been with a woman since you had your heart replaced?”  He nodded.  She leaned over and kissed him. “Well, who better to be with for the first time than a medical cadet?”  He grinned. “Is this what you want?” 

“I like you a lot, Jean-Luc.   I’ve enjoyed my evening with you...”   Jean-Luc held her hands in his.  “Beverly, do you want to sleep with me?”  

“Yes.  I think so.  I’ve never...I’ve never been with a man before.  I’m...ah...a virgin.”  Jean-Luc smiled.

“And you want your first time to be with me?”

“Yeah,  I think so.”  Jean-Luc grinned.  “We don’t have to have sex right away.  There are...other things we can do.”  Beverly raised an eyebrow but rose from the sofa and extended her hand to him. When he stood, she tugged him towards the bed.  She let go of his hand and reached behind her and pulled down the zipper on her dress and let it pool at her feet.  “Oh,  Beverly.  You are beautiful.”  Beverly blushed.

“Can I...” 

“You can do whatever you want.”  She smiled then and reached out for him.  He came closer and she pulled his shirt off over his head and ran her hands down his chest.  She found the tender spot that was still healing from his surgery several months ago and she leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on it.  Jean-Luc closed his eyes from the sensation.  “Beverly,”  he reached for her bra and looked at her questioningly.  She nodded, and he removed her bra.  “So beautiful.” He lavished kisses on her breasts while she tugged down his trousers and boxers.  He grinned against her breast.  “Hmm. I seem to be wearing less clothing than you.”  She grinned and let him slip off her knickers.  She carefully traced a finger along his penis and Jean-Luc closed his eyes once more.  He closed his hand over hers. “Let’s get in the bed.” 

Jean-Luc let Beverly explore his body.  He was aching to touch her and be inside her, but he wanted to take things slow, and he wanted her to enjoy herself.  He knew, from a previous experience, that it would probably hurt her the first time. 

“Jean-Luc?” 

“Yes?” 

“Will you touch me?”  She moved his hand towards her delicate folds and he kissed her. “Do you want me to?”  She nodded.  He started out gently, with a single finger, but once he saw how much she was enjoying herself, he added another finger. He found her clit and she gasped.  “Is this...ok? Do you want me to stop?”

“No,” he stilled his fingers. “I mean, don’t stop. Please.  Oh my God, Jean-Luc.”  He grinned and continued to lavish attention on her, bringing her to orgasm. He kissed her and positioned himself over her. 

“Beverly, are you ready?”  she nodded.  He reached for her hand.  “I know...I’ve been told....”

“It’s going to hurt,”  she said, matter of factly. 

“Yes.  But I want you to know...I don’t _want_ to hurt you.  So if you want me to stop....just tell me. And I give you my word, I’ll stop.”  He brought her hand to his mouth and kissed her fingers.  She nodded and squeezed her eyes shut.  “Oh, Beverly.  Please look at me?”  She opened her eyes and smiled up at him, a few tears leaking out of her eyes.  Jean-Luc leaned down and kissed her.  “Please don’t cry.”

“I’m sorry.  I’m just...nervous. What if I’m not good at this?”  Jean-Luc quirked an eyebrow. “Beverly, it’s your first time.  Please, don’t worry.”  She nodded and Jean-Luc paused  “Uhm...we probably should have discussed...”

“I have an implant.” 

“Ok, good.  Are you ready?”  Another nod.  Jean-Luc slowly eased himself into her.  He never took his eyes off her face.  She winced and cried out.  “You ok?”

“Yeah.  I think...well....don’t stop.”  He grinned and continued going slowly until Beverly wrapped her legs around his hips and pulled him in deeper.  She let out a moan and he picked up the pace.  He added a finger and swirled it around her clit as she cried out his name.  Hearing his name ripped from her throat nearly put him over the edge.  “Beverly, I’m going to....” 

“Yes. Oh, Jean-Luc. Please.”  He came with a strangled cry and fell on top of her, finding her lips and kissing her passionately.  He pulled her into his arms and kissed the top of her head.  “Jean-Luc...that was wonderful.  That was amazing.  Thank you....” 

“No, my love, thank _you_.”  She shifted and made a face.  “Uhm. It’s a little...”

“Sticky?”  She nodded.  “Why don’t we take a shower and set the servobot to change the sheets.” 

“We can...we can do that?”  He grinned.  “Sure can.  Come on,”  He rolled off the bed and held out a hand to her and she giggled as she got out of the bed, then frowned as she felt a small amount of pain in her groin.  “Beverly, are you in pain?”  she nodded.  “I think it’s normal.  I just wasn’t expecting it....well, I wasn’t expecting any of this.” 

“I know.”  He kissed her again.  “Let’s get cleaned up.”

###

Jean-Luc groaned when the alarm chime went off, but he was grateful he had set it.  He needed to get back to his own quarters and change into his uniform.  He slid out from under Beverly and smiled.  She really was beautiful, and the night before was wonderful.  He placed a kiss on her lips and she opened her eyes. “Leaving?”

“Shh, don’t get up.  It’s 0600.  I need to get back to my room to change back into my uniform.  Meet you back here at 1300?”  Beverly smiled and sleepily nodded, secretly pleased he still wanted to spend time with her after the night before.   He glanced at her one more time before exiting her quarters and walking down the hall to his own.  

Jean-Luc insisted that they spent the night apart that night so Beverly would be refreshed for her final placement exam the following day, but after her exams were over he asked her if she wanted to stay in his quarters with him.  She agreed, and they wasted no time in moving her small suitcase.   Beverly had giggled and muttered something about not telling her Nana.  Other than one more exam to proctor, Jean-Luc didn’t want to spend a single minute away from Beverly.  They had limited time together, and who knew what would happen at the end of the following week? He would receive his new orders, probably to proctor more exams, and she would return to Caldos to prepare for her move to the Academy. 

Their week together was bittersweet.  Each knowing it wasn’t going to last, but neither willing to admit to the other that they were falling in love.  Beverly was afraid he would think she was trying to cling to him since he was her first, and Jean-Luc worried if they stayed together, Beverly wouldn’t concentrate on her studies.  They spent their week when they weren’t in bed exploring each other’s bodies sampling the different alien cuisines offered on the starbase – Beverly decided she quite enjoyed Vulcan food, but could do without Klingon food – and took many long strolls in the arboretum.  Jean-Luc had even convinced Beverly to try out a holosuite with him, and he showed her his hometown of La Barre and the vineyard.  He kissed her in the artificial twilight of the holosuite and told her she was the first woman he had ever shown his home to. 

On their last day together, Jean-Luc received his orders.  He was to join the _Stargazer_ as a relief flight controller, the same position he would have held before his accident, and they were including a promotion to Lieutenant, junior grade.  Beverly was pleased for him and that night in bed, they spoke of keeping in touch with each other, but neither wanted to hold the other one back from meeting someone else.   They parted in the morning as friends, with one last passionate kiss, each being in love with the other, but neither willing to say the words.

They kept up regular contact for the first few years, and even managed to see each other once when Jean-Luc had managed to schedule some shore leave. They had come together as if no time had been spent apart, and Beverly spent the weekend in his quarters.  They lost touch around Beverly’s second year of medical school, when Jean-Luc was catapulted to the rank of Captain after an accident left his Captain, First Officer, and Second Officer incapacitated or dead _._   Their weekly calls became monthly calls, which soon became each leaving the other messages until even their messages started to be spread apart and then with a sigh, Jean-Luc realised he hadn’t spoken with Beverly in eight months.  He tucked the picture of the two of them into his bedside table, not wanting to be reminded of the love he had lost.

###

Walker and Jean-Luc were in the mess hall of the _Stargazer_ , when Walker pointed at Jack and chuckled. “Look at that kid.  Pining away for his girlfriend.” 

“Oh?”

“Yeah, he met her on his last shore leave.  A cadet.”  Jean-Luc nodded, sympathetically.  He could have been in Jack’s situation if he had told Beverly how he felt.  He almost wished he was in Jack’s predicament just so it would mean Beverly was still in his life, even if it meant he would have been miserable without her.  Heck, he _was_ miserable without her.  He thought about contacting her again, but he would always change his mind, sure that she wouldn’t want to speak with him.  “I suppose we could try to help him out.” 

“How?”

“Well, we both did a semester on a ship.  Perhaps we could extend that opportunity to his girlfriend. That might perk him up a bit.”

“I think she’s in pre-med. We’ll have to get the doc to agree.”  Jean-Luc raised his eyebrows.  Jack’s girlfriend might know Beverly.  His heart soared as he thought about the possibility of finding out at least how she was doing and he nodded at Walker. “Make the arrangements, Number One.”

“Aye, Captain.”

Six months later, Jack’s girlfriend was coming aboard for a year.  Jean-Luc stood next to Jack in the Transporter room, ready to meet the girl who had captured his ensign’s heart almost as much as his Beverly had captured his, if only she had known.  The transporter whirred into action, and Jean-Luc had to hide the shock and surprise on his face when none other than Beverly Howard stepped off the platform. 

She stared at Jean-Luc, even as Jack was kissing her in greeting.  Jack broke the kiss and followed Beverly’s line of sight and chuckled, misinterpreting her look of shock as one of embarrassment. “Sorry, Bev.  I’d like you to meet my Captain,  Captain Jean-Luc Picard.  Johnny, this is Beverly, my girlfriend.”

###

There was a soft knock on Jean-Luc’s door.  Jean-Luc had already changed for bed, and was just nursing a glass of whisky, wondering what he should do about Beverly. They hadn’t acknowledged knowing each other this morning, he had merely nodded at Jack and welcomed her aboard.  He was a coward.  He _should_ have said they had already met, but he didn’t want to cause problems for Beverly if Jack pressed for details.  He didn’t know if she had told him about their whirlwind romance or not, and if she had, she obviously hadn’t mentioned his name.  Because how many Jean-Luc’s were there in Starfleet?  As far as he knew, he was the only one. Perhaps she was over him, and there was nothing between them anymore. It was going to be a long year if he had to hide his feelings for her. There was a second knock on his door.  He assumed the person at his door was Walker, so he commanded the door to open and was pleasantly surprised when Beverly was standing in his doorway.

Jean-Luc rose from the sofa and Beverly stared back at him.  They stood like that for several minutes before Beverly crossed the room to him and was immediately in his arms.  She kissed him hungrily and pulled off his shirt as he was removing her clothing and backing her towards his bed.  They tumbled onto the bed in a tangle of arms and legs and when they joined together, Jean-Luc felt like he was home.  Beverly climaxed with his name on her lips and Jean-Luc wasn’t far behind. He held her in his arms after, kissing any part of her he could reach as they both came down from their shared high. 

“Hi,”  she breathed out.   He grinned. “Hi, yourself.  That was quite the greeting.”   She blushed.  “I never...I never stopped loving you.” 

“I didn’t know you loved me to begin with.”

“Didn’t you?”  Beverly twined her fingers together with his and he brought her fingers to his lips.  “If I had known....Beverly, I love you too.”

Beverly started to cry softly.  “My love, what’s wrong?  Surely you aren’t crying because I love you?” 

“No, it’s not that. I’m overjoyed that you love me. But...Jack.  I’m dating Jack.” 

“I know.  I’m sorry.  We can...pretend tonight never happened if you want.  I can be your Captain, and not your...”

“Lover?  No.  I don’t want to pretend this didn’t happen.  I don’t want to say goodbye to you again.  I can’t.  I’ll just have to break up with Jack.” 

“Will you stay on my ship?” She nodded. “I’d like to still do my internship in your Sickbay.” 

“I’ll transfer Jack off if I have to.”  She smiled and snuggled down in his arms. “Do I have to leave tonight?”

“No.  Stay.”


End file.
